Unpopular Takeaways from this Year's FIFA Women's World Cup!

Much has been written about the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) successes off the field obtaining equal pay with the US Men’s National Team (UWMNT - really more an equal revenue split regarding FIFA funding) and about the USWNT unexpectedly early exit in the round of 16 from this year’s FIFA World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Probably up there too are articles about the issues with the Spanish Women's National Team in the last year including how fifteen national team players quit the squad due to what they felt were oppressive conditions. Of the fifteen, eight decided to relent and asked to be reinstated to the team. Only three of the eight were actually invited back. In other words, twelve former national team players did not compete in this year’s FIFA World Cup. And yet the maligned coach was able to assemble not only a team but a winning team!

Makes one think of the Avis advertisement: “We are second therefore we try harder.” Turns out the difference between A+ and A wasn’t very big. One has to even wonder whether the A+ team would even have won. In which case, actually Team A gets better results than Team A+.

Just as importantly one has to wonder whether the USWNT win off the pitch, used up some of the energy that should have been reserved for competition itself. As a woman, clearly the USWNT legal win was nice. Unfortunately it probably meant that some of the players that should not have been called up to play this year, had to be called up or the league would have been faced with accusations of retaliation. Would a team made up only of players that did not sue have gotten better results? We will never know.

The reality is that being at the top is never easy, the tradeoffs including kisses can be really hard to stomach. Which brings us to the now famous FIFA World Cup final kiss. When I first saw the headlines and the commotion it caused, I just assumed that it was between two women. Then of course, it turned out to be between the male Spanish league president and a player on the Spanish Women's National Team which given her lack of interest is now the source of a lawsuit. Sadly humor like Jero Freixas, an Argentinian actor, take on the kiss is very funny, namely that in Spain the convention involves two kisses. It seems like talent isn't as limited as one might think because given the opportunity those who might not have appeared to be as talented turn out to be quite talented.

Links to some of the immediate events:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw...